Passing Through
by ffreaderwriter
Summary: Jarod’s original plan had been to use Smallville as a short resting point after his latest pretend. However, when his stay becomes extended, he discovers that there is more to this seemingly sleepy town than meets the eye. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Broots sat in front of his computer like he usually did, trying to decipher Jarod's latest clue. He really didn't want to see Jarod get caught, but he would never voice that out loud where anyone could hear him. He had a daughter to raise, and he wanted to see her grow up. Naturally, thinking "traitorous" thoughts could definitely prevent that if anyone found out.

Broots rubbed his eyes wearily as he picked up the one item left at Jarod's last lair. It was a Dorothy doll from the Wizard of Oz. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the doll. She was wearing a basic yellow dress, and her brown hair was braided just like any other doll. A small green stone was hanging around her neck. Broots stared at the stone for a moment. He had researched the dolls earlier and hadn't thought about the necklace.

Broots again pulled up the pictures of the Dorothy dolls that could currently be bought and noticed that none of them were wearing a necklace. Broots thought it could be an emerald, but emeralds were not found in Kansas. So, what would be the tie to the Dorothy doll? Then he remembered a conversation he had recently and began typing rapidly into his computer. A smile slowly appeared on Broots' face. As much as he didn't want to see Jarod get caught, he also didn't want to have to go see Mrs. Parker empty handed. Luckily, he didn't have to now.

Broots hesitantly knocked on Ms. Parker's door. Even if he had good news for her, he wasn't about to go barging into her office without her knowing that he was there. "Ms. Parker?"

"Come in, Broots."

Broots did as he was told, carrying the Dorothy doll with him. "Oh, hi, Sydney," Broots greeted the older gentleman, pausing. "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No." Sydney gave Broots a smile to let him know it was okay for him to continue with whatever he came in to say.

"Broots, aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?" Ms. Parker asked, a smirk lingering briefly on her lips.

Broots' blushed at the question. "Oh, this was found at Jarod's last lair. I think I figured out something about Jarod's whereabouts."

"Well, get on with it."

Broots started into his story. "Well, after researching these dolls – and you wouldn't believe how many of them there are - I found out that none of them come with this kind of necklace."

Sydney squinted at the doll, his confusion evident. "Yes, but how is that helpful? As far as I can recall, no emeralds are mined in Kansas, which, based on the doll, is where I would assume Jarod is."

"I know, I thought of that, too. And then I remembered a conversation I had with Bernie down in Maintenance. You know, the guy with the glass eye and the weird limp."

Sydney nodded his head in recognition. "That glass eye is so-"

"Broots!"

Broots stopped cold as he got the Parker death glare. "Get to the point already."

"Bernie is always talking about gems and meteorites and the stories that are out there. He was telling me about some weird ones that came down a few years ago. There's rumors about them doing mutations or something. But I remember him saying they were green just like this."

"And how does this enlightening conversation help us any?"

Broots gave a small smile as he answered. "They are only found in one place."

"So, what does Bernie say about these rocks?" Sydney asked as he walked out of the room with Broots.

"Well…."

Mrs. Parker shook her head before getting some aspirin. This was going to be a long flight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Jarod walked along the street at a casual pace. He had just finished his latest pretend. He glanced at the newspaper as he passed by. The title laid out in bold print what had happened. **Local businessman jailed, hit and run driver finally caught.** Jarod couldn't believe how some people thought they were above the law and could just get away with anything.

Jarod smiled as he thought about the family that he had helped out. He had gone into the hospital as a volunteer to see the young man that he had read about. He saw the man's little girl curled up asleep next to him while his wife slept in a chair next to the bed. They were going to be very surprised to find out that an anonymous person had paid off their medical bills.

Jarod looked around at the town and was amazed at how peaceful everything looked. He knew he needed to be heading on; he couldn't stay anywhere for any length of time. But he didn't think that Broots could have figured out his last clue. _Maybe I have some time after all, _he thought to himself. The town also seemed to have the small-town charm that makes someone not want to leave. He decided that he would go to the local coffeehouse. He had observed during his stay that the locals really seemed to like the place. He hadn't had a good cup of coffee in a very long time.

An older lady, dressed in a long loose-fitting dress, walked down the street with her head down, trying hard not to make eye contact with anyone. She wasn't overly shy, but it had become a habit of hers. When you spend most of your life trying to not draw attention to yourself, you just pick up certain things. Something seemed to pull her attention, though, as she looked across the street.

Not believing what she was seeing, she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped as her breath caught in her throat. She looked as though she had seen a ghost. And, in a way, she had, for she saw a ghost from her past. One that she had thought she would never see again. She had come so close, so very close one time. But then he had been snatched away from her quickly. She felt rooted to the spot. She didn't know what to do.

Jarod walked inside the coffeehouse. _Talon…that's an odd name for a coffeehouse. How are coffee and a bird's claw related? _Jarod mused on that while he walked up to the counter. He saw several young people who seemed to be high school aged sitting around the counter talking and laughing.

One of them, a girl with long dark hair, walked over to him to take his order. "Hello. What can I get for you today?"

The girl seemed very pleasant and almost reminded him of a younger version of Ms. Parker.

Jarod frowned as he looked at the menu board. "Um… I'm not sure. You have a lot of choices. I'd like to try something unique. What would you suggest?"

"How about the Chocolate Caramel Cappuccino?" Lana answered, smiling.

"That sounds great!" Jarod smiled back.

"Okay, you can go and find a seat, if you want, and I'll bring you drink over to you in a minute." Jarod watched for a moment as she turned away to make his drink. She really did seem like a younger version of Ms. Parker. A more peppy and happy version, but the physical resemblance was still there.

Jarod walked over and sat on a stool near the counter. He looked around and saw the stand that had the local high school's paper on it. Curious, he picked it up and began to look over it.

The woman had stood still for what seemed like an eternity when a sudden noise jolted her out of her reverie. A long dark car with windows tinted so dark no one could see through quickly pulled up across the street from her. She swiftly ducked into the nearby clothing store. She could not afford to be seen by anyone. She knew exactly where that car had come from. She didn't have to see the out of state tag to know. It was just a matter of who was going to get out of the car.

The seconds seemed to tick slowly by as she watched the doors open up to reveal Ms. Parker, a slim man who was beginning to bald somewhat, Sydney, and a young black man with a serious look on his face. The woman was shocked at how much Ms. Parker looked like her mother.

She stood there, desperately watching the scene in front of her. She wanted to run across to where the vultures were and tell them to leave. She wanted to scream at them "Haven't you ruined enough lives? Just let him live in peace!" She knew that would not help the situation out any, but she still didn't know what to do. She felt like her heart was being ripped apart.

Jarod heard the car's abrupt stop outside and, instinctively, knew who it was. _Guess I'm not going to get to enjoy that coffee after all._ He quickly stood and asked the girl, "Excuse me, is there a back way out of here?"

Lana looked over at the man, confused_. I haven't even given him his drink yet and he wants to leave out the back way?_ "Um…yeah, through there." Lana pointed to the storage room behind the counter.

"Thanks." Jarod quickly rushed through the storage room and into the back alley, leaving a small pile of bills on counter as he left.

Clark looked around at Lana and Chloe. Something just didn't seem right about this situation. He wanted to find out what it was. "Guys, I'll be right back." He got up and went in the same direction as Jarod.

"What do you think that is all about?" Lana asked and looked over at Chloe, who also had a puzzled look on her face.

"No telling." Chloe's mind was already racing to try to come up with scenarios but nothing made sense.


	3. Chapter 3

Clark walked to the back entrance and peered out into the alleyway. He was really confused by what he saw or more appropriately didn't see. The guy who had just been in inside a few moments earlier had now seemed to vanish into thin air. That was just impossible. Clark then heard Chloe's voice in his head chided him for his skepticism. _Okay, it is possible. This is Smallville after all._ But, the guy didn't look familiar at all so could he? It is possible that he could be Wall of Weird material? Clark stepped further out in the alleyway not paying attention to the door slamming behind him.

Willie and Mrs. Parker both turned at the sound of the door slamming.

"I'm going to go and check that out." The sweeper said automatically before walking off in the direction of the noise.

"Broots, you are coming with me." Mrs. Parker saw Broots gulp slightly before nodding. "When Willie messes this capture up I need someone to be with me to witness it."

Mrs. Parker made sure her gun was ready to go but not visible to anyone who might pass by. "What are you going to do Sydney?"

The older man pointed to the coffee shop they had parked in front of. "I'm going to speak to the locals."

She gave a small nod before turning to Broots. "Okay, come on." Broots dutifully followed along behind Parker.

Margaret watched the scene unfold in front of her as her face grew any paler. She had watched the hasty retreat and the curious on-looker that had followed. She couldn't look away or say anything but she silently urged the young lad to help out.

"Maim, are you alright? Can I help you?" The voice finally broke the woman's thoughts away from outside. "What?"

"Are you alright?" Margaret looked over and saw her name tag displayed Rose. "Oh, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look quite pale." Margaret then noticed the look of concern on the girl's face. She really hadn't meant to worry anyone. She looked back out the window and saw that everyone had disappeared. She really needed to get what she had come to town for and get back before anyone came back.

"I'm okay, really."

Rose didn't look convinced. "We have some cold drinks back in our refrigerator in the stock room. Why don't you sit over here for just a little while and I will get one for you okay?"

Margaret smiled slightly at the kind offer. She could tell the girl wasn't going to let her push aside the kind offer. "Okay, that's sound really nice."

Rose smiled as she guided Margaret over to the nearby bench that was normally occupied by bored husbands. "I'll be right back."

Margaret glanced over her shoulder at the car one more time. She was not going to have this opportunity to see her son vanish as the first one had. She didn't even worry about his escape she knew he would. It was just a matter of finding him after he did.

Sydney walked into the coffeehouse and stood in the doorway for a moment looking over the place. It had a very comfortable, yet modern feel to it. He then looked around to see where the right place would be to start ask questions. He knew he needed to be careful and not to raise too many eyebrows. The counter seemed to be the best place to start.

Sydney walked up to the counter and saw the young brunette behind the counter was talking with an equally young blonde. He surmised that they were probably classmates and friends. "Excuse me"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Can I help you?" Lana turned giving a warm smile.

"I hope so." Sydney answered warmly as returned the smile. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Sure, I'll try."

Sydney reached in his pocket pulling out a picture of Jarod to show her. "Have you seen this man?" Syndey watched as a moment of recognition came across her face and that she was about to say something when her friend cut her off. "No, we haven't seen him before."

"Alright, then" Sydney said putting the picture away.

Chloe's curiosity had definitely gone up a notch. "Is he missing or something?"

"Yes" Sydney answered quietly. "He's a friend of mine and I'm trying to find him."

"Well, we will let you know if we see him… Mr. ?" Chloe left the bait sitting out there to see if he would bite and give her a name to run with in her research.

"Sydney"

"Mr. Sydney" Chloe replied.

"Have you spoke to the sheriff yet about your missing friend? She would probably be able to best help you find him."

"No, I'm just getting into town. I haven't had a chance to yet." Sydney could just about practically see the wheels turning in the young blonde girl's head. They had definitely seen him, but he would keep that information to himself right now.

"Could I get a cappuccino please?" Sydney once again smiled as he spoke.

"Uh, sure" Lana answered still confused about what was going on.

Chloe watched as the older man got up and took a seat across the room and waited on his drink.

"Chloe, why did you say we had never seen that man before?" Lana whispered sharply at her before putting down her memo pad. "You know he was in here earlier."

"Yeah, I know." Chloe snuck a glance over at the man before looking at Lana. "I also know something serious is going on here. I want to know all the facts first before getting involved."

"Sounds like you are already getting involved." Lana gave Chloe a I-know-you look as she was preparing the cappuccino. "Besides, of course it is serious that the guy is missing."

"If that is the case then he must want to stay missing. Don't you think it is a little odd that he suddenly leaves right before someone who has just gotten into town comes in here looking for him?"

Clark was now wandering the backstreets of Smallville. It was mainly just a bunch of abandoned warehouses. A few were still used by different business for storage but most just sat derelict. He couldn't believe that he couldn't find the guy. Why was he so worried about this in the first place? Because, a guy doesn't come and an order a coffee, pick up a paper to read while waiting and then leaves – out the back- before ever getting his drink unless something was going on.

Clark heard an unmistakable sound. He swiftly turned towards the noise engaging his X-ray vision. His eyes widened in terror as he saw one skeleton shooting two bullets at another skeleton trying to scale a wall. He pulled back a little and saw that the man climbing over the wall was the same man that he had come out looking for.

Clark didn't know what to do. There was no way for him to get to the man before he was struck by the bullets without leaving several Clark sized holes in several buildings.

He cringed as he saw one of the bullets hit its mark. He saw that the man was about to head into a dead end. He was not going to let whoever was after this guy get a hold of him.

Jarod winced as he landed on the other side of the wall. He pulled his hand back and saw blood on it. He would definitely have to get that seen about, but he didn't have time to stop now. He continued running forward as the pain in his side bit into every step he took. He had always been so careful in the past, how did he slip up now? His decision to linger for a moment, to try and have a normal relaxing day for once it seemed had caught up with him.

Fatigue began to set in as he stumbled into the alleyway. He looked up to see that he had managed to walk straight into a dead end street. He stood there panting for a moment before he turned at the sound of footstep behind him. He was about to look around and see if there was any avenue of escape when he was suddenly grabbed from behind.

Jarod was fully expecting to see some sweeper and have a bag slung forcefully over his head before being dragged away again. But, when he turned around and got his bearing again he saw a young guy who was probably high school aged standing in front of him.

Jarod was about to say something when he saw the young guy get a serious look on his face as he stared at the wall of wherever he was right now. He became quiet and saw the kid mouth "they're right outside." Jarod then watched as the kid braced himself against what looked like to be a very old door. It looked liked it had long been rusted shut. How was the kid even able to open it? Jarod decided not to question the matter any more.

Willie stopped running as he walked to the end of the alleyway. He turned at the sound of Parker's shrill voice.

"Well, you lost him didn't you?"

"I did not lose him. I know he came this way."

"I don't see him around here anywhere and I don't see anywhere that he could have gone. So, you must have lost him."

Broots finally came up puffing out a lot of air. He bent over trying to get his breath. "Mrs. P – Par – ker "

She whirled around on him as she snapped. "What Broots?"

All he could manage to do was to point to the small spot of red on the ground. "Okay, he is around here somewhere. Find him"

Willie nodded and headed toward the first door he saw.

Clark watched the skeleton move forward toward the door as he placed his hand over the old handle.

Willie reached for the knob seeing if it was going to give any, but it wouldn't budge. He shook his head at Mrs. Parker before quietly walking over to the warehouse across the alleyway. That door knob did open revealing an abandoned warehouse. "Search it. I'm behind you."

Clark watched as they entered the other building and thought it was finally safe to talk. "Hi"

Jarod just looked at the kid. He had just gotten himself involved in something very serious and the only thing he could think to say was hi? Then he realized he had seen the kid just a little while before. "You were in that coffeehouse back there weren't you?"

"Yeah, and it looks like you are going to need to get to a hospital." Clark could see the bloodstain forming on the man's clothing. He started to walk toward him to see how he was.

Jarod backed off. "No, no hospital."

Clark stopped immediately. "Okay. No hospitals. But, you have got to get that seen about. I know somewhere I can take you and get that seen about. No one will know Okay?"

Jarod really didn't like to get others involved, but he really didn't have any choice. "Okay."

"I'm going to go and get my truck and I'll be right back." Jarod nodded as he sat down on the ground to wait.

Broots was still standing outside the warehouse trying to force the air back into his lungs when he could swear he felt a breeze go past him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Broots looked around the empty alleyway. There wasn't a sign of life anywhere. His almost steady breathing was the only sound he could hear. _So, where did that breeze come from?_ Now, Broots wasn't the overly curious type. He had learned from his years at the Centre that asking too many questions could be hazardous to your health. Still, as he looked around again and saw no one, his curiosity got the better of him. He guessed Ms. Parker had gone on to check out the warehouse without him because his gasping would have given them away to anyone.

He looked at the warehouse that he had just been leaning against. It was a rather old, dilapidated building. Its metal walls were now rusted with holes dotting throughout. He wondered momentarily if that was due to age or some child's target practice. The one window he saw was so dirty that he couldn't see inside, so he placed his eye up to one of the holes in the wall.

His eyes widened, and his pulse quickened as he saw something move inside. He gulped and tried to muster up his courage. He knew Ms. Parker would want him to go and check it out to see if it could possibly be Jarod. He didn't know whether he hoped it would be or not. He just didn't want it to be some knife-wielding psycho inside. Broots immediately chided himself at the thought. This was a quiet, small town. He was sure there were no knife-wielding maniacs in a place like this.

He saw the door that made up the entrance leaning on its side nearby and slowly stepped inside the building. He had only walked a few feet when a dark shape came flying at him. He let out a small yelp, before feeling silly seeing that his attacker was only a bird. Straightening up again, he continued on as he heard what sounded like a grunt coming from the back of the warehouse.

He nearly couldn't speak when he saw the source of the noise. "J-Jarod," he stuttered out.

Jarod looked up and was a little surprised to see Broots. He wasn't overly surprised because he thought he had heard him earlier, but he knew not to assume things. He wondered briefly how only Broots had discovered him. What happened next did surprise him, however. Broots collapsed, apparently unconscious, as Jarod's young rescuer materialized behind him with no visible means of rendering someone unconscious. Stunned, Jarod sat there for a moment, just looking between Broots and the young man.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was he a friend of yours?" Clark asked. "I thought he was with the people looking for you."

"He's actually both."

Clark looked at Jarod with a confused expression, but didn't say anything else about it. "Oh… well, he'll wake up in a little while and be fine."

At that, Jarod returned the look, his eyes obviously questioning.

Clark saw the slightly odd look he got but ignored it. "Can you get up okay or do you need some help?"

"I think I can make it." Putting his arm down to brace himself, Jarod groaned at the pain the movement caused but still managed to stand up unaided.

"Oh, I'm Clark by the way," Clark said, standing alert, ready to help if he was needed.

"Jarod."

"Okay, Jarod, can you walk just a little way? I parked the truck at the end of the alleyway so hopefully no one heard it."

Jarod nodded and said, "Yeah." But as soon as he did, he wasn't so sure. His legs felt like they were going to buckle at any moment.

"Here, give me your arm." Clark took hold of Jarod's right arm and placed it around his shoulder. Jarod then watched as Clark again seemed to just stare out in to space for a moment.

"Okay, it's clear. Let's go." Clark walked Jarod as quickly as he dared to his truck. He really didn't want those people showing up again before they left.

Ms. Parker and Willie were coming out from the wild goose chase that the warehouse was when she thought she heard something like an engine running. "Oh, no he's not," she hissed under her breath.

Ms. Parker began to run toward the end of the alleyway. She reached it just in time to see a cloud of dust thrown up behind a pickup truck. She couldn't tell for sure, but she thought she saw two people inside. Ms. Parker cussed quietly as she let off a shot into the ground more from frustration than anything else


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

Ms. Parker rubbed her head after holstering her gun. She could fell a tension headache coming on. She didn't know why she thought this capture attempt would go any smoother than the others had. But, then again, she _could_ count the number of times that they had actually gotten this close on one hand. Jarod was normally long gone before they found the clues that he had left to torment them with.

Ms. Parker was startled from her thoughts as Willie walked up. He almost had a smile on his face. "Oh, shut up," she hissed at him, scowling, and then noticed that she didn't see Broots anywhere.

"Broots, Broots!" Ms. Parker waited for a few moments but got no response. She guessed he must have headed back to see what Sydney had found out. Ms. Parker turned back and began to walk slowly back to the car as Willie followed wordlessly behind her. She thought she had noticed that they had stopped in front of a coffee shop. She would get some blessed caffeine and take something for this dreaded headache.

Sheriff Adams was walking down the street toward the alleyway. She had been going to stop in the Talon to get a coffee and maybe one of those delicious muffins they had. But that plan had been ruined when Ben had come out of the hardware store and told her he had heard what sounded like gunshots off in the back alleys. He had just been taking out the garbage when he heard the noise. She didn't really think that someone would be doing any shooting around here, but it was her job to find out what was going on, so her coffee time was going to have to wait.

As she was walking toward the alley she also heard what sounded a lot like a shot to her. "Okay, what is going on?" she muttered to herself. _If I find some kids using one of those old buildings for target practice, they are going to wish that they had never even known what a gun is._

The sheriff stopped in her tracks slightly past the door to the Talon as she saw a woman emerge from the alleyway. She immediately knew that she was not a local. No woman around here wore a suit like that. The sheriff wasn't one of those women who was all into fashion, but she knew when something was especially expensive. No one around here would be able to afford something like that. But what she saw next was what really got her attention. She saw the butt of a gun slightly visible underneath the suit jacket that moved when the woman walked.

"Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't lock you up right now?"

Ms. Parker stopped dead in her tracks at the question. She turned and saw the sheriff for the first time. "Excuse me. What did you say?"

"Tell me why I shouldn't lock you up right now?"

Ms. Parker scowled at the sheriff and her headache increased. "How about I haven't done anything wrong?" She really didn't want to have to deal with some female version of Barney Fife. She just wasn't in the mood.

"So, you don't see anything wrong with shooting up a town? Do you have a license for that firearm?"

Ms. Parker was beginning to lose the little bit of patience that she had. "Yes, I have a license for this firearm. And I have not been shooting up your town."

"Well, I have a witness who said that shots were fired in the direction that you just came from, and you have a gun on your person. Do you want to tell me who has been shooting up my town?"

Sydney had been sitting in the café enjoying his coffee when he saw Ms. Parker and one of the local police get into an argument. He knew that they needed to get out - and quickly - before Ms. Parker landed herself in jail.

"Look, I have not been shooting up your town. I don't care what anyone says."

Ms. Parker glared at the woman and the sheriff glared back at her.

"Excuse, me, Ma'am. Let me see if I can help."

Sheriff Adams grudgingly turned her attention away from Ms. Parker. "Who are you and are you with her?"

"My name is Sydney, and, yes, I did come with Ms. Parker here," Sydney paused for a moment while the Sheriff nodded. "What is your name?"

"I'm Sheriff Adams. I'm in charge of keeping the order in this town. And I will not allow out-of-town folk come in here and freely discharge their weapons any time they please."

Sydney looked over at Ms. Parker and saw that if she had been able to shoot daggers out of her eyes, she would have at this lady. "Sheriff, let me assure you, we are not here to cause you or your town any trouble."

Chloe watched intently out of the window as she saw the older man get up and go outside to where the Sheriff was talking to a lady. Her curiosity on high, she knew she wouldn't be able to just wonder what was happening.

"Where are you going?" Lana asked as Chloe stood up. She saw the look in Chloe's eye and knew she had something planned.

"I'm going to find out what is going on." Lana shook her head, an amused smile on her lips, as Chloe slipped out the back way and quietly snuck around the side of the building to listen in on the conversation.

"Then why are you here?" Sheriff Adams asked. This man, Sydney, was definitely calmer than Ms. Parker had been. Though, she still just had a weird feeling about them. She would have to keep an eye on them while they were in town.

"We are looking for this man." Sydney reached into his jacket pulling out a picture.

Sheriff Adams took the picture and studied it closely. "I don't remember seeing him before. Why are you looking for him? What makes you think he is in Smallville?"

"He is a mental patient of mine. Ms. Parker and the gentleman over there are associates of mine."

Sheriff Adams looked over and noticed the young man for the first time. She definitely had a bad feeling about him in her gut.

"Okay, but you didn't explain why you think he was here or why you were shooting at him?" The sheriff thought she almost saw a pained expression cross the older man's face as she mentioned the man being shot, but it went by so quickly she couldn't be for sure.

"We got a tip and believe that he has been spotted here. He can be tricky to capture, Sheriff. But I assure you that as soon as we have him back in custody we will be leaving your town. We will pay for any damages that have been done."

Sheriff Adams handed the photo back to the older gentleman. Something about their story sounded fishy, but she couldn't quite put her finger. "Okay, if you keep Ms. Trigger-Happy over there contained, then I won't lock her up." She looked over at Ms. Parker momentarily before turning back to Sydney. "But if she causes me any more trouble, she will be in jail in a heartbeat."

"Thank you, Sheriff." Sydney nodded, giving the Sheriff a small smile.

Chloe had listened to as much of the conversation as she needed. She quickly walked back into the supply room of the Talon, dialing Clark's cell phone as she went. Chloe waited impatiently as the phone began to ring. "Clark!" she exclaimed once he'd answered. "What happened about that guy that you went after earlier? Did you find him?"

"Yeah, I did." Clark glanced over at Jarod. He was slumped in the seat with his head leaning against the door and the back of the seat. He was holding his had his arm across his body holding onto his side. Clark couldn't tell if he was awake or unconscious.

"Why, what's going on? Are you still at the Talon?"

"I'm in the supply room now." Chloe paused just a moment to compose her thoughts. "Clark, this older guy, Sydney, came into the Talon looking for that guy right after you left. Then a little while later Sheriff Adams and this lady got into an argument about shooting up the town. I think Sheriff Adams was about ready to lock her in jail, but the older man went outside and calmed things down."

"Chloe," Clark spoke calmly into the phone, "breathe." Clark paused for a moment as listened to Chloe give an exasperated sigh before taking a deep breath. "You were rambling. Now, what is going on?"

"I was trying to tell you," Chloe muttered. "Sydney said that him, that lady, Ms. Parker, and another man all work together and that Jarod is some kind of escaped mental patient."

Clark gave Jarod a cautious glance before turning back to the conversation with Chloe. "Thanks, Chloe."

Clark hung up the phone, wondering just what he had gotten himself in the middle of.

Broots opened his eyes and sat up, immediately wishing he hadn't reacted so fast. He rubbed the back of his head; he was going to definitely need something for that. _ How_ _do_ _I end up in these situations?"_

Sydney looked over at Ms. Parker as she prepared to get in the car. She was headed to see where they could spend the night since they stay had been extended. "Where's Broots?"

She turned back, a confused expression on her face. "I left him gasping for air while Willie and I went to look in a warehouse. I thought he came back to find you."

Sydney shook his head. "No, I haven't seen him since we split up. But I'll go and find him."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Clark pulled into the driveway slowly, trying not to jar his passenger on any of the bumps in the dirt road. "Mom! Dad!" Clark yelled to get his parents' attention as he exited his side of the truck. Jarod hadn't moved any nor had he attempted to get out of the truck by himself, Clark noticed and thought that he looked even paler than he had just a few minutes earlier. Clark hoped that his parents wouldn't be too freaked out about what he had done.

Martha was in the kitchen preparing vegetables for that evening's meal when she heard the truck come up the driveway. She looked up momentarily, but then returned to her work. She paused when she head Clarks shout; his serious tone making her feel concerned. "Jonathan, you need to come out here now!" Martha immediately lowered the knife she was using to chop a pepper, turning as her husband appeared behind her.

"Martha, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Clark just got home and wants us outside," she informed him as they quickly walked to the front door. "I don't know, but it sounds like something's wrong." Neither Martha nor Jonathan was prepared for the sight they saw before them when they stepped out onto the porch. Martha gasped as they watched Clark pull a nearly unconscious man out of the truck. "Oh, my word, Clark what happened?"

They both instantly rushed over, Jonathan grabbing the man's other arm and putting it around his shoulder. "Clark, what are you doing bringing this man here? It's obvious he needs to go to the emergency room. We're not doctors."

"Dad, I couldn't," Clark replied forcefully, an unusual expression crossing his face.

Jonathan saw the look on his son's face and knew that there was more to the story than he knew at the moment. He would have to find that out later, because they were going to try and patch this guy up the best they could first. "Martha, we are going to need some scissors, towels, antiseptic, and gauze pads."

Martha nodded and held the screen door open before running to fetch the first aid supplies.

"Okay, let's put him over here on the couch."

Jarod could tell that he was going in and out of consciousness. _It must be the combined stress of being shot, running, and blood loss,_ he figured. What he couldn't figure out were these people. The father seemed a little hesitant, but didn't insist on taking him to the emergency room. What was puzzling him even more was the conversation that he was overhearing now.

"Is the bullet still in there?"

Jarod could then detect a small pause in the conversation as if they were trying to find it.

"No, I don't see one."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"What about any broken bones?"

"One cracked rib."

"Anything else?"

"No, that's all."

Jarod knew he had not felt anyone pressing on his side yet. How could they possibly know he had a cracked rib? He pondered this briefly before slipping slowly back into unconsciousness.

Martha returned with the needed supplies, and Jonathan greeted her, "Thanks, honey."

Martha entered the kitchen where Jonathan and Clark were standing. "He appears to be resting now."

"That's good," Jonathan said before turning his attention to Clark. "Okay, son, what is going on?"

Clark began to tell all that he knew about the events of the afternoon. He was just finishing up telling about the conversation Chloe had overheard when he paused briefly. He didn't know if he should include that last detail.

Martha noticed the slight pause. "What is it, Clark?"

"Well, don't freak out, but Chloe says that Jarod is an escaped mental patient."

The silence that hung in the air was deafening. "Son, I know that you like to help people out. And that's a very good quality," Jonathan added quickly. "But there are some times you just don't need to get involved." He was about to say something else when they heard a loud groan come from the den.

They all hurried over to find Jarod struggling to get up. "Just what do you think you are doing?" Martha asked in a very motherly, worried tone.

"Attempting to sit" Jarod coughed, and then chuckled a wry smile on his lips. "A mental patient? Well, I guess that's one way of putting it."

"You can tell us about it later if you want to." Martha laid a hand on Jarod's shoulder, trying to get him to lie back down. She was surprised that he seemed to resist some.

"I don't need to be here; I'll just cause you trouble. They'll find out I'm still here and come looking for me." He looked straight at Jonathan as he spoke.

"You will do no such thing." Martha once again tried to guide him back into a resting position. "You are in no condition to go anywhere." Martha looked over at Jonathan momentarily before looking back to Jarod. "Don't worry about us – or him – we can take care of ourselves."

Jarod had to admit that he really wasn't in any shape to go anywhere. He knew that the Centre had not given up the chase that easily, especially since they knew their prey was wounded.

"Just lie back down and actually get some rest now." Jarod had to smile at Martha; the woman's red hair reminded him of his own mother. He obediently did as he was told and was soon asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

Martha watched as Jarod's head swung from side to side on the pillow. She could tell he was definitely having a bad dream, but she didn't know the best way to wake him or if she should at all. She listened to him shout out, "NO!" in his sleep, and her heart went out to him. What had happened to him that would cause such a nightmare? She couldn't wait any longer; she was going to have to wake him up.

Martha reached forward and gently shook his shoulder, calling his name quietly. "Jarod… Jarod, wake up. You're having a nightmare." She was slightly startled when he suddenly awoke and opened his eyes, taking a deep, panicked intake of breath. Martha could tell by the wild, scared look in his eyes that he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings as he looked around the whole room.

"Jarod, look at me. It's okay. You're safe; you're in my house." She waited for a moment and watched Jarod calm down, seemingly coming to his senses.

Martha glanced away from Jarod when she heard a loud squeak. A split second later, Clark bounded down the stairs. "Is everything alright? I thought I heard a scream."

"Everything's fine." Martha looked momentarily over at Jarod before returning her gaze to her son. "Jarod had a nightmare; that's all. Go back and get washed up. I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Martha looked back at Jarod after Clark had headed back upstairs. "Sorry about that," he said with an embarrassed look on his face. "I don't sleep very well. I didn't mean to disturb anyone."

"No apologies needed. Are you okay? Do you need me to bring you something for the pain?" Martha smiled sympathetically.

Jarod looked at her, stunned. She and her family had taken him in and cared for him without knowing anything about the circumstances or really asking any. "Why are you being so nice? Not that I'm complaining, but you don't even know me."

"Who you are doesn't matter," Martha answered genuinely. "You needed help, and I'm glad we were able to help you. We always try to help out when we can. And when we need help, I'm sure someone will do what they can." Jarod smiled up at her for a moment, silently musing about the resemblance between her and his mother again. "Since we haven't properly introduced ourselves yet I do that now. My name is Martha Kent. My loving, and sometimes overly cautious husband is Jonathan." Martha smiled slightly before continuing. "So, do you need any pain medicine?"

Jarod shifted slightly and pain shot through his side. "Yeah, I think I'll take some," he replied with a slight groan.

Martha got up and headed toward the kitchen to get a glass of water and some Tylenol. As she returned, she told him, "Since you are our guest, you get to decide what to have for breakfast."

Jarod stared, dumbfounded, at her standing there with the glass in her hand. He didn't know how long it had been since the last time he'd had a home-cooked meal. He wasn't sure if he'd ever had a home-cooked breakfast. "I – I don't know."

"Here, let me help you get up and take this while I give you your choices."

"Thanks for the offer, but let me try this myself."

Martha stood there patiently as Jarod slowly sat up; she wouldn't offer a second time. She knew how men could be stubborn and didn't always want to accept help. "Okay, we can have blueberry pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, biscuits."

Jarod blushed as his stomach rumbled loudly while he listened to the food being listed. Martha couldn't help but smile. "It seems like I'm going to have an appreciative audience," she teased him. "So, what's it going to be?"

Not hesitating at all, he answered with a grin, "Blueberry pancakes."

Jarod watched from the couch as Martha started on the pancakes. Clark came down and joined her in the process; soon after, Jonathan joined in the morning activities by getting the day's coffee going. The scene had such a feeling of warmth and love that it almost made Jarod forget about everything else, though the wound in his side was his constant reminder that he couldn't rest. He also knew that he needed to let the family know what they had gotten into.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** (I forgot this earlier) I don't own anything.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews. I really, really appreciate it. If I don't have the characters just right – sorry. I haven't seen any of the Pretender in a while. Thanks to my beta – you're great!

Ms. Parker groaned as she shielded her eyes against the brightness of the sun coming in her window. She had not slept well and wanted to just put a pillow over her head and fall back asleep. But she knew that would just cause more irritating squeaking. The mattress was not at all to her liking as every time she moved, it would make a racket.

She really didn't like small towns. Or small inns, for that matter. Anne's Innwas not the type of accommodation that she was used to staying in. This was, however, the only place to stay if she wanted to remain in the area. Their small group was taking up almost the entire inn. She and Willie had rooms to themselves while Broots and Sydney shared a room.

Ms. Parker wearily got up and took a shower, hoping it would make her feel better. At least she didn't have to share a bathroom with anyone. She was not about to start parading around in a towel in front of those guys.

Feeling only a marginal improvement after her shower, Ms. Parker dressed and headed toward the room Broots and Sydney shared. As she neared the room, she could smell a very distinct and familiar odor. _Coffee! _Her eyes widened as she recognized the scent. _I can't believe they went and got coffee **without **me!_ Ms. Parker glowered at the door as she reached for the door handle and found that it wasn't locked. Without hesitation, she shoved the door open.

Sydney and Broots were surprised by the door suddenly swinging open to reveal an obviously unhappy Ms. Parker. She looked over at the small table in the room and saw they not only had coffee but also muffins.

"Good morning, Parker," Sydney cooed in a cheerful voice as Broots tried not to choke on his mouthful of muffin.

"Where did you get those?"

"I bought the coffee and the muffins from that lovely coffee shop that I went in yesterday. The owner of the inn said they were the best anywhere around." Sydney saw Ms. Parker's glare and knew what the next question would be.

Broots hastily stuffed another bite in his mouth so that he wouldn't be able to talk. "I didn't want to wake you and I wasn't sure what kind you would want. That's why I didn't go ahead and get some for you," Sydney continued.

"Fine," Ms. Parker replied shortly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you have any ideas on how to catch the lab rat so that we can get out of here soon?"

Broots swallowed his muffin quickly and laughed slightly. "Yeah, we need to leave before that sheriff hauls you off to jail." His laughter stopped abruptly as he saw the death glare that was now directed at him.

"How did you…"

"Syd told me," Broots stated clearing his throat. "Did you get a look at the vehicle that Jarod left in?"

"It was a pickup truck," Ms. Parker answered.

"Could you be a little more specific? I mean, do you know how many pickup trucks are probably around here?"

Broots received another glare. "No, could you tell me about the guy who knocked you out?" Parker didn't even wait for the next question, but simply rolled her eyes. "I found out the same way as you."

Broots looked over at Sydney who gave a slight shrug. "Well… Sydney said he remembers seeing a bank across from the coffeehouse. I could hack into their surveillance video and see if we can pick up anything from that."

"Do it," Ms. Parker ordered, turning on her heels and beginning to exit.

"Where are you going, Parker?" Sydney asked quickly.

"To get some breakfast."

After breakfast, and seemingly all manner of farming and the finer points of making blueberry pancakes had been discussed, quietness seemed to fall on the kitchen. Jarod looked over at Jonathan and could tell that, as gracious as his host was being, he was still regarded a bit warily, though no one had demanded any answers from him. He thought this to definitely be on the peculiar side, but he also had a feeling that this family had a mutual respect for not probing into one's personal affairs.

"So, Jarod, where are you from?" Martha's question snapped Jarod from his thoughts.

"Delaware."

"What brings you all the way out to Smallville?" Jonathan asked as he sipped his coffee. He got the sense that Jarod was a good person, but he still wasn't sure what his family was in the middle of. He wanted to know who or what he might have to protect them against.

Jarod didn't answer immediately; he just gave Jonathan a small smile before turning to Clark. "Could you please hand me the newspaper over there?"

Clark was confused. He didn't know how the paper was going to help, but he quietly obeyed, laying the paper down in front of Jarod.

Jarod pointed to the headline about the local businessman being arrested for the hit and run. "That's why I'm here."

Jonathan still didn't understand, and his question hadn't been answered at all. "What? You worked at the bank with Bob?"

"I did." Jarod voice lowered slightly as he continued, "It's amazing what people think they can get away with if they have a little money."

"Did you have something to do with Bob being arrested?" Martha asked incredulously.

"Yes." Jarod looked at Martha with a very genuine look on his face. "That is what I do; I right wrongs that would otherwise go undetected."

Clark looked at Jarod, unsure of what to make of him. "How are you able to do this?"

He faltered for a second and then explained, "I'm what's called a Pretender. I can read a book about anything from surgery to flying an airplane and then seamlessly fit into that situation without anyone knowing the difference. That is what I did at the bank." Jarod paused before continuing. "That is also why those people were after me."

Martha was dumbfounded, and it seemed that she wasn't the only one as she looked at the expressions on Clark and Jonathan's faces. "Who are these people?"

"They are from an organization called the Centre." Jarod then turned his attention to Clark. "Who did you see yesterday?"

"The only person I saw was the man who found you at the warehouse. But my friend told that there was an older man and a woman looking for you."

"What man at the warehouse, Clark?" Jonathan asked in a worried tone. "Did he see you?"

"No, I knocked him out from behind." Clark flinched when he saw the disapproving look he was getting from his father. "I didn't hurt him. I thought he was one of the guys after Jarod, and I didn't want them to get him," he added in explanation. "He found Jarod when I went to get the truck to bring him here."

Jarod had to hide a smile at the little family scene, but he decided to save Clark from the situation by explaining who everyone was. "Okay, the older man's name is Sydney. He helped take care of me while I was growing up. The man from the warehouse is Broots. He is a computer technician for the Centre. The woman is Ms. Parker. Her bark is worse than her bite, and she's the head of the team."

"Who gave you that wound?" Jonathan asked, curious to see which of the group was the greatest threat.

"That would be Willie. He's a sweeper, which means that he's what most people would refer to as an … extreme type of security guard."

"How did this Centre find out about you?" Martha asked. "You said that Sydney took care of you growing up. Were you raised at the Centre?"

Martha watched as Jarod's face took on a very serious look. "Yes, I was. I was taken from my family when I was young, and my unique talent was exploited for the Centre's gain."

She looked over at Clark and noticed the horrified look on his face. They had always feared that something like that would happen to Clark, and now they were sitting next to someone who had lived through their worst nightmare. She could tell that Jonathan was just as appalled and angry as she was at Jarod's story.

Martha reached across the table and put her hand over Jarod's. "I'm so sorry." Jarod's face softened at the sincere affection, and the tiniest of smiles appeared. "How did you get away?" she asked.

"I escaped a few years ago after I found out they were using my abilities for nefarious purposes. Since then I've been trying to find my family and avoid recapture."

"You don't know where your family is?" Martha asked. "That must be terrible."

"I have briefly met my father…" Jarod looked off into the distance as he smiled at the memory for a moment, "but I have not been able to talk with my mother. I got close once, but then had to make a quick exit." Jarod glanced over at Martha. "You remind me of her." Martha smiled at the remark but didn't know what to say. She watched as Jarod pulled a picture of out his pocket. "This is her."

Martha gently took the photo and looked at it. "She looks like a very nice woman." She almost handed the picture over to Jonathan, but something about it seemed familiar. She just couldn't put her finger on it. She finally surrendered it to Jonathan for his inspection and commented, "I can't quite figure out what it is about that picture that seems familiar."

Jarod couldn't believe it. Could they have actually seen his mother before?

Jonathan studied at the picture and also had a feeling of familiarity, when suddenly Martha's eye began to grow big as recognition dawned on her.

"I know why she looks familiar, Jonathan." Martha said excitedly. "You remember the woman who you helped with the flat tire last week?"

Jonathan smiled as the memory came back. "Yes, I do. And I would bet the farm that this is her."

It was Jarod's turn to be dumbfounded. His mother had been in Smallville only a few days before, but was she still here? "This is amazing. Is there anyway to find out if she's still here?"

"I'll call Chloe," Clark answered. "If anyone can find her, she can." Clark got up from the table to call Chloe's cell phone.

Jarod's mind was still reeling; he might be able to finally meet his mother. But there was still the problem of Ms. Parker, and he would have to get around that somehow.

Clark walked back into the room a minute later. "Chloe said she would meet me at the Torch this afternoon." Clark saw Jarod's confused look and explained, "It's the school newspaper and where Chloe does all her research."

"I'm going with you," Jarod said immediately.

"Whoa, now." Jonathan put his arm out to stop Jarod as he started to stand. "I think it would be best if you stay here out of sight and heal. Clark will let you know as soon as Chloe has something."

Jarod didn't like waiting, but he knew that that was probably the best plan. "Okay," he said reluctantly.


	9. Chapter 9

Broots sat at his laptop looking at the footage from the bank's surveillance camera. It had taken him longer to hack into the security system than he had thought. He figured that with the town being so small it would probably take five minutes for him to hack in. Well, to his frustration the bank had much better security than he had thought and he had spent most of the morning trying to get in.

Now, that he was in and had the film saved on his computer, he was doing the tedious task of watching a few cars and people go by on the tape to try and get a clue as to who Jarod's accomplice might be.

"You see anything interesting, Syd?" Broots rubbed his eyes as he turned towards the older gentleman. Sydney had offered to stay and help Broots to look over the tape while Mrs. Parker went out to get some breakfast and to familiarize herself with the town's layout. He guessed Willie was also out and about in the town since he hadn't come back after he had left earlier.

"Not really." Sydney said turning his attention momentarily away before turning it back to the tape. Sydney then spotted it. "There's Jarod."

Broots turned his attention back to the screen and clearly watched as Jarod walked into the coffeehouse. "So, now we just need to find his accomplice."

Thirty minutes later Mrs. Parker appeared in the room. "Have a nice look around, Parker?" Syndey asked cordially.

"It was okay." Ms. Parker said. "Have you got anything yet?"

"I think so." Broots gave a slight smile, proud of his accomplishment.

"Well, what is it?"

Broots turned back towards his monitor to show Ms. Parker the footage. "Okay, see this truck right here in front of the coffeehouse and the driver gets out."

Ms. Parker watched as the teen driver got out of the pickup. "Alright, why am I looking at this?"

"You'll see in a minute." Broots fast forwarded the tape. "This is where Jarod enters the building and we pull up shortly after that."

Ms. Parker couldn't believe the timing of their arrival. If they had only pulled up a few minutes earlier they would have caught Jarod on the sidewalk.

He then fast forwarded the tape some more. "Now, watch this."

Ms. Parker watched as the same teen driver got in his truck and drove out of sight. "I'm still not following. Why am I watching this?"

Broots rewound the tape slightly. "Look, he doesn't come out of the front door and get in his truck. He comes from the side, out of the view of the camera. So, he must have left the building by some back entrance that is not visible from the camera. My guess is that Jarod heard us drive up and made a hasty retreat out the back and this guy went to investigate what was going on.

Ms. Parker stared at the teen on the monitor. "Do we know who this kid is?"

"I was able to enhance the shot of him driving away and I got his license plate. The truck is registered to a Jonathan Kent. I've got the address right here."

Ms. Parker couldn't help but give a slight grin that could possibly even be a smirk. She was finally going to catch her prey. "Alright, let's go get him."

Broots eyes widened. "Ms. Parker we can't just go barging into these people's house. What if they think we are trying to rob them or something? They might come after us with a shotgun."

Syndey concurred. "Parker, I think it might be better if we have someone local to help us out. It would be good if we got the sheriff to go with us. That way it looks more official and the family will be more willing to cooperate."

Ms. Parker crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the two men. She did not want to have to deal with the sheriff anymore. But, she did see the logic behind Sydney's statements. "Fine. We'll go get the law to help."

Ms. Parker turned around to see that Willie had slipped into the room without anyone noticing. "Willie, go get the car ready."

Idyllic.

That was the way Jarod would describe the scene before him as he sat on the Kent's front porch swing and surveyed the farm. He watched the cows slowly meander through the field while the birds tweeted in the nearby trees. He briefly wondered if this is what it was like when his parents and sister stayed at Harriet Tashman's farm.

Jarod had mixed emotions about the possibility of meeting his mother after all these years. He was anxious to do so, but was not going to let himself too excited about the possibility just to have his hopes dashed by another close call. He had been so close the time before. He could still see her beginning to get out of the cab. Then, as it always seemed to happen, whenever he tried to get close to his family, the Centre intervened.

He knew Ms. Parker and the Centre were not going to give up this easily. He knew they would be coming. It was only a matter of time.

"Hey, how you feeling now?" Clark asked as he stepped up on the porch and casually leaned up against a support post. "Better I hope."

"I'm still really sore, but I'm feeling a lot better." Jarod shifted slightly and grunted as he did so. "I want to thank you and your family for everything you've done for me."

Clark smiled. "Don't mention it. We're glad to help."

"I also wanted to tell you to be careful. The Centre would love to get their hands on someone like you." Jarod watched as Clark seemed to unconsciously stiffen.

"W-What do you mean someone like me?" Clark stammered. "There's nothing unusual about me."

Jarod tone softened as he looked up the nervous teen. He could tell that Clark was not comfortable with the change in the conversation but was trying to hide that fact the best he could; which wasn't very well. "I'm not requiring any explanation. I'm not going to tell anyone either. So you don't need to worry about that."

Jarod saw that his words didn't really have the calming effect that he thought they would. He had read up on the local folklore surrounding the unusual rocks in the town. The stories were interesting to him. That was why he had used the rock in his clue to Broots. From what he had seen from Clark, it seemed that the stories were indeed true.

"I don't know what you call unusual," Jarod began. "But, being able to diagnose a cracked rib from a gunshot wound and know there are no other injuries without any touching me is what I would call unusual."

Jarod watched the expression on Clark's face go from worried to shocked.

"I thought you were unconscious," Clark gasped.

"Not quite. I could still hear what everyone was saying." Jarod replied before continuing. "Another thing that was a little off was your ability to knock-out Broots with no visible weapon. Did you just hit him with your hands?"

Clark felt trapped. He just didn't know what to do. He guessed it would be okay to answer this one question. Jarod had just said he wasn't going to require an explanation. "Yeah." he reluctantly responded.

"Wow. I read the stories about the unusual rocks you have here. It seems the stories must be true." Jarod smiled at Clark before becoming serious. "Clark, I promise you that I will not give up any information regarding you. I know what it is like to live in a cage. I wouldn't wish that experience on anyone."

"Thank you." Clark nodded at Jarod as he inwardly gave a sigh of relief. He was still nervous about someone seeing him use his abilities, but he felt that he could trust Jarod and that his secret would be safe.

Martha interrupted the conversation by coming out on the porch. "Clark, Chloe just called. She's waiting on you at the Torch."


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe looked up as Clark walked into the Torch and sat down next to her. "So, why did you need to meet me so urgently? Your message was a little vague." Clark opened his mouth but didn't get the chance to answer as Chloe's face lit up like the proverbial light bulb being switched on. "It's about that escaped mental patient guy, isn't it? Is he really an escaped mental patient? Where is he now?"

Clark blinked at the rapid fire questions that came at him. He had known that he would get twenty questions as soon as Chloe got on the trail. He wouldn't be able to answer everything, but at least he could answer these. "His name is Jarod. He's not exactly an escaped mental patient."

Chloe looked confused. "Clark, how can you 'not exactly' be an escaped mental patient? You either are or your not."

"Chloe, it's a long story," Clark sighed.

"I've got plenty of time." Chloe said, leaning back settling herself comfortably in her chair as she spoke.

"It's not my story to tell" Clark answered with a sigh. He hated having to do this. Not being able to let his friends in on what was really going on. It was almost as bad as having to lie about himself all the time.

"What? Don't you trust me?" Chloe sounded defensive and annoyed. She couldn't help it –she was in full inquisitive reporter mode.

"No, its nothing like that," Clark replied keeping his voice calm and level. "It's just Jarod told me something in confidence and I don't feel it would be right to share the information without his permission."

"Oh, in that case, I guess I can understand."

"Besides, I don't want you getting too involved in this and going off on some one woman crusade to try and find the story behind this. These people are serious and I don't want you to get hurt."

Chloe saw the concern in Clark's eyes, "Why what's happened?"

"Jarod's at our house recovering … he was shot."

"By those people who were talking to the sheriff?"

Clark nodded his head.

"So, what do they want with him?"

"That's the 'not exactly a mental patient' part."

"I knew it." Chloe almost beamed at the revelation. "I knew there was something going on the way he streaked out the back of the Talon." Chloe face became serious once more. "Um, he's not from around here is he? That isn't why they are interested in him is it?"

"No, he's not from Smallville, Chloe." Clark paused. "He's not like Ryan, but has been treated in a similar fashion."

Chloe thought about the young boy that they had all befriended. She knew how close Clark had gotten to him and immediately knew why, if the situation was in anyway similar, Clark was helping this man out. "So, how can I help?"

Clark pulled the picture of Jarod's mother out of his pocket. "I need you to try and find out where this lady lives. My parents helped her on the side of the road recently and we think she lives somewhere here in Smallville."

"Who is she?" Chloe sat there tying to figure out how this woman fitted into the general scheme of things.

"That's Jarod's mom."

Chloe stared at the picture, she went out of reporter mode and now felt an emotional connection with this guy. She guessed that Jarod must have grown up without knowing his mom and was now trying to reconnect with her. She certainly knew the empty place you have inside you when someone you love vanishes.

"Okay, I'll just scan it into the computer and look on the internet for her." Chloe said turning back to her computer.

"No, you can't do that."

"Do what?"

"You can't put her picture over the internet."

"Why not?" Chloe looked at Clark as if he had three heads. "How am I supposed to do this without a name or the internet?"

"I don't know; you just can't. Jarod told me specifically not to put her name on the internet with a search for Smallville." Clark answered before giving Chloe a mischievous smile. "Use that long list of contacts you have. I do have a fist name, but that is it. Her name is Margaret."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Chloe sighed. "I'm going to need to at least scan the picture into the computer so I'll know how to describe her."

Chloe quickly scanned in the picture and handed it back to Clark.

"Thanks, Chloe. I've got to get back. Call me as soon as you have something."

Ms. Parker was not a happy camper. She had hated dealing with small town sheriffs ever since Jarod had ensured that she wouldn't be able to bother him for a few days, by conveniently leaving a note with the police in a town that she followed him to stating that she was carrying a concealed weapon. This had resulted in her being arrested and spending a long and uncomfortable night in that town's jail.

Ms. Parker removed her sunglasses as she walked into the Smallville sheriff station followed by Sydney and Broots. The only way she could think to describe the place was quaint. The whole place was awash with the color brown. The walls were old fashioned tongue and groove brown paneling. There was a wooden reception counter in a matching shade near the front door. It stretched across the entire office and had a swinging entrance at the far end. There were two desks behind the front reception area. Behind these desks was what she assumed was the sheriff office. It also had brown walls, but they stopped halfway up and the rest of the way was glass. It must have been made out of two way glass because Ms. Parker couldn't tell if the sheriff was inside.

One desk was occupied by an officer who didn't even look up from his paperwork. She glared at the officer as he continued to ignore them. She wanted to yell at him, but she had been reminded by Sydney on the way over that she would need to act civilly inside the station because she was already on the sheriff's bad list.

She glanced over at a small bell that was on the counter and hit it repeatedly in quick succession. Still, she got no response. She huffed as she crossed her arms across her chest and impatiently tapped the toe of her high heel shoe. She glanced over at Sydney and he could tell she was about ready to take prisoners if necessary in order to get someone attention.

The tapping seemed to finally warrant a response as the officer turned toward the back of the building where it curved out of sight. "Douglas, get out here now. There are people waiting on you." He then carried on working without even glancing at the visitors.

Ms. Parker and the group watched as a young male rounded the corner. He had such a young looking face, she didn't even know if he was out of high school yet or not. He was wearing a standard police uniform, the same as the other officer, but she noticed that he did not have a weapon on him.

"Sorry, to keep you waiting" the young man smiled at them pleasantly. "I was in the back room catching up with some filing. A junior officer in training gets all the glamorous jobs. But, I'm going to the Academy – when I get out of school – and then I get to do the real stuff." He paused slightly embarrassed about rambling on. "Anyway, enough about me. What can I help you fine folks with today?"

Syndey answered before Ms. Parker had a chance to say anything. "We'd like to speak to the sheriff."

"May I ask who is here to see her?"

"Tell her it's Ms. Parker," the brunette snapped "I met her yesterday. I'm sure she'll remember me."

Douglas unconsciously drew back a little but tried to maintain his courteous demeanor. "Okay, let me see if she's free to see you."

The group waited while Douglas walked back to the sheriff's office and, after knocking, stuck his head inside. After a few moments he gestured to Ms. Parker, indicating that she should come through to the office before he turned and headed back to his filing.

The sheriff had watched the whole scene from her office. She didn't know exactly what was going on with these people and that bothered her. She wanted to know what they were really up to.

After everyone was in the office and seated the Sheriff gave the newcomers a small smile as she asked. "So, what is it that I can do for you today?"

"We would like your assistance with the retrieval of our patient." Sydney began cordially.

Sheriff Adams leaned back in her chair and looked at them. "You didn't seem to have any trouble going after him yesterday on your own."

"And you nearly arrested me!" Parker retorted.

"Listen here, I will not tolerate anyone breaking the law here. If you don't like it you can pack your bags and leave town. I may even be helping you pack."

Broots wanted to crack up, but stifled his laughter quickly so that only a small chuckle came out. He knew Ms. Parker was not used to having to take orders like this from anyone.

Sydney shot Ms. Parker a look letting her know his disapproval.

Sheriff Adams turned to Broots. "Who are you? You weren't with them yesterday."

Broots instantly paled. He didn't like the stare he was getting. It was almost the same as the one Ms. Parker was accustomed to giving him. "I- I'm Broots."

"He does research for us. That is what he was doing yesterday when we met."

"Research huh?"

Broots inwardly sighed with relief as the sheriff turned her focus back on Sydney.

"Research on what?"

"The town."

"So, what is the name of your establishment? You didn't tell me yesterday."

"The Centre."

"Where is it located?"

"In Delaware."

The sheriff whistled her amazement. "That's a long way for a crazy person to get all by themselves. You sure this guy is crazy?"

"Yes" Sydney stated. He glanced over at Ms. Parker out of the corner of his eye and could tell that she was growing more impatient. "He can be stable for a little while without any medication, but then he tends to become very violent without warning. That is why it is best for us to get him back in our care as soon as possible. We don't want any of your nice townspeople harmed."

Adams nodded her head. The story did sound plausible, but there was still something that just didn't seem to add up. However, as the public's safety was her main concern she inquired further. "Where do you think this guy is and how do you know he is there?"

"As I stated before, due to our research and reconnaissance we think he is at the home of one of your townspeople."

"Now, who in this town do you think is harboring your patient?" The sheriff crossed her arms across her chest. She couldn't think of anyone who would voluntarily do this. Now, involuntarily that was another thing altogether.

"The name is Jonathan and Martha Kent."

Adams sighed inwardly. Okay, make that one person. She should have known that Kent boy would be involved in this, somehow he always seemed to be in the middle of things.

Sydney realized from the sheriff's expression that she knew these people well. "So, you know them?"

"Yes, they're good people."

"So, are you going to help us or not?" Ms. Parker questioned.

"I'll go out there with you." Sheriff Adams said, staring intently at Ms. Parker as she spoke. "However, if there is any funny business at all going on or I just think you are wasting my time, I will have you escorted out of my town so fast it will make your head spin. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly."


	11. Chapter 11

As Martha stood at the kitchen sink stirring the lemonade she had just made, she heard the unmistakable sound of the gravel crunching in the driveway. She looked up smiling, expecting to see Clark returning from the Torch. However, her face dropped and took on a worried appearance when she saw, instead of the familiar red truck; the Sheriff's car followed by a black limousine.

She looked over at Jarod, who was sitting in the living room, and saw that he was also aware of the newcomers. Apart from being visibly paler, his face was showing no emotion. "It's them." He said, in a flat almost toneless voice.

"Jonathan!" Martha called out, sounding scared and worried.

Even before he entered the kitchen Jonathan knew something was wrong from the way Martha had said his name. Martha pointed out the window towards the cars that had just stopped and he saw what was worrying her. He looked over at Jarod, and said in a determined tone of voice. "Don't move. They haven't seen you. We'll take care of this."

Jarod could tell the farmer wanted some kind of recognition that he had been heard and would be obeyed so he silently nodded his head and watched as Jonathan left the house to meet the Sheriff outside.

Jonathan stepped off the porch and tried to sound pleasant, "Good day, Sheriff. What brings you all the way out here?" He looked over the Sheriff's shoulder as waited for her answer, trying to match the faces with the names Jarod had given him and seeing who he would be up against.

"I'm here to see if you would mind giving us your permission to search your house." Sheriff Adams could see Jonathan's immediate resistance to this suggestion. "Before you ask me – No, there is no warrant. I can't force you to cooperate."

"As much as I would like to help the police out with any investigation, I do object to allowing total strangers to search my home, particularly as you haven't even given me a good reason for it."

The Sheriff couldn't argue with that. "The reason for the search would be to find an escaped mental patient." Indicating the people standing behind her as she spoke, "These people say they've lost one of their patients and for some reason they think he is here and that you are either harboring him or he has taken you as hostages."

Jonathan gave the Sheriff a small smile. "That's just crazy. Martha and I are just fine and no one's taken us hostage. Why the heck do you think we would be harboring an escaped mental patient?"

Before the Sheriff could answer, the noise of another vehicle approaching caught everyone's attention.

As Clark drove up the driveway he saw that they had company and quickly used his x-ray vision to find where Jarod was located. He scanned the house and saw a skeleton exiting through the backdoor and running towards the trees behind the farmhouse.

Clark parked the truck and walked over to where Jonathan was standing. "Dad, what's going on?"

"Hi, son." Jonathan gave Clark a small smile. "The Sheriff says that these people think we are harboring a crazy person and want to look through the house."

"So, why don't you let them look?" Clark said smiling as he turned back to face the Sheriff. "We don't have anything to hide and I'm sure you want to get these people out of your hair as soon as possible."

Jonathan gave Clark a slightly confused look, but only got a grin in response.

"Well, Clark, for once we are in agreement about something!" Sheriff Adams said with a smile. Turning to Jonathan she continued, "So, are you going to let us have a look inside?"

"As you aren't prepared to accept my word, it seems that I have no alternative. Although, I want these strangers supervised the entire time." Jonathan replied sounding annoyed.

Sheriff Adams and her companions entered the house and were met by Martha who was waiting just inside the door.

After everyone was inside and out of earshot Jonathan looked over at Clark. "What do you know that I don't?"

"Everything's fine. I checked to make sure where Jarod was when I drove up."

"And?"

"They can search the house all they want." Clark said with a broad grin.

Sheriff Adams stood outside the Kent home, they hadn't found any trace of the escaped mental patient, either in the house or in any of the adjacent farm buildings. She was really annoyed at having been manipulated into participating in this wild goose chase. Her radio crackled interrupting her train of thought.

"Sheriff?"

"Go ahead."

"It's about that information you asked me to look up earlier. There is no trace of any company or foundation of any kind going by that name located anywhere in or around Delaware."

"Thanks."

She was now way beyond merely being aggravated she was seriously ticked off. She knew something fishy was going on with this people. She didn't know what they were up to or where they were really from, but they were not going to be in her town any longer bothering her citizens.

Sheriff Adams turned and stormed over to the group of outsiders. "I want you out of my town NOW. I don't take too kindly to being made a fool of and being led off on some wild goose chase." The Sheriff saw that Mrs. Parker was about to come back with some kind of comment. "This goes especially for you. If I don't see that you have packed up and gone by this afternoon I will go over to that Inn and arrest you myself for using a firearm within city limits and harassment. Do you understand me?"

Mrs. Parker glared at the Sheriff and wanted to tell her exactly what she could do. But, before she did so, Sydney grabbed her arm. "We understand perfectly."

Sheriff Adams then walked back to where the Kent family were standing watching the scene being played out in front of them. "I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you."

"Don't worry about, Sheriff," Jonathan smiled. "I'm just glad we don't have a crazy person hiding under our bed."

"Thanks for your co-operation, I'm real sorry to have bothered you." The Sheriff replied. As she turned around and got in her car, Clark's cell phone began to ring.

"Hello."

"Clark, it's Chloe, I think I have good news for you."


	12. Chapter 12

"What is it, Chloe?" Clark asked as he watched his parents head around to the back of the house.

"Well, it took me a little while to try and think of how to locate our mystery woman _without_ the use of the internet. But, then something occurred to me. Do you remember that bad thunderstorm we had last week?"

"Yeah" Clark answered unsure where this conversation was going.

"Well, the storm fried our telephone and our TV. So, I thought the same thing might have happened to her."

"If it did then she would need to get them fixed and someone would have to come out to her house to do so."

"Exactly!" Chloe said excited. "So, I called my contact over at the telephone company to see what I could find out."

"Is he the guy who drives the scooter?"

"Its not a scooter, it's a motorcycle…and I had to talk about it for 10 minutes before I could get anything else out of him," Chloe continued. "But, I was eventually able to find out something useful. He did go out to a lady's house, who fits our description, and made a repair. I have her address, but I think that we would need to go out there and make sure that we are right before we say anything. I would feel horrible about this if we got Jarod's hope up just to be dashed by a false lead."

"Okay, that sounds like a good plan."

"I think that we will need to wait until the morning to do this though, it's already getting late. Also, I'm pretty sure from the way Billy described her that she's not used to having too many visitors."

"Yeah, we don't want to spook her and have her run." Clark added. "Thanks, Chloe. I'll meet you at the Torch at ten tomorrow morning. Bye"

Jarod stood behind a tree safely out of sight from the house, but still close enough so that he could see the cars as they left. He thought about just turning and leaving. He could easily collect the few things that he always kept with him and then slip away unnoticed. He had already caused this family enough trouble and now their home was being searched because of him.

He thought about his mom. Jarod had just about convinced himself that she wasn't the woman that the Kent's had seen the other day. It must have been someone else that looked like her. He couldn't actually be that close to finally finding her. What if during their time here Mrs. Parker had found her whereabouts. He certainly wouldn't put it past them to capture her to force him to come back. He couldn't let that happen.

Jarod was about to get up and make a break for it when he heard a twig snap in half. He felt the surge of adrenaline as he tuned towards the noise ready to fight or run. However, he had forgotten his injury and turned a little too fast as a bolt of pain shot through his side. "Ohh"

Jonathan saw the scared look on Jarod's face that swiftly turned to pain as he moved. "Hey, its okay. It's just us. You're safe. They're gone."

He saw Jarod relax and he smiled. "You know you don't listen very well. I told you to stay put." Jonathan saw that he got a small smile out of Jarod. "In this one case, I would say that it was okay, though…. Now come on and let's go inside."

"But, I've caused you so much trouble. I should be going."

Now it was Martha's turn to reassure him. "Nonsense. You are staying the night and that's final. You need one more good night's rest here before you go anywhere."

Jarod could see that he was not going to win this argument and conceded with a grateful grin. "Alright, you've convinced me."

Ms. Parker glared at the "Welcome to Smallville" sign as they left. This trip had just been one aggravation after another. "He's there. Sydney, I know he's there."

"Parker, you know as well as I do that Jarod never stays in one place long. He might have been at that house at one time. But, he clearly wasn't there earlier. We searched the whole premises."

"I just have a gut feeling we're missing him."

Broots spoke up "Speaking of which… how is your ulcer?"

A/N: Okay, I had originally intended for the Ms. Parker and the Centre to be thwarted pretty easily and go on a kind of uneventful ending. This is not it. I planned to have a little more, but not much. However, after reading reviews it seemed that my reviewers expected more out of the story. Let me take a moment to say thanks very much to everyone that has taken the time to review.

I came up with an idea on how to lengthen my original idea to add some Centre intrigue to the story. But, since I couldn't decide whether to go with my original idea or to change it I'm going to let you decide what I should do.

If you decide you would like the extended version of the story, then what I will probably do is have a companion story with that part of the story in it and go ahead and finish this story the original way. I think it will work out okay that way. The extended section would fit in between this chapter and the next one that I will be doing.

Just let me know. If you have any other suggestions about how to improve anything let me know as well.

04/12/2006 12:51 (2K)

Document1


	13. Chapter 13

Special thanks to SVCrystalGreen for her tremendous contribution to this chapter and to my beta Carrie.

She thought of those little, dark, innocent eyes, full of life, curiosity, and intelligence. She thought of that thick mop of brunette hair, so much like her husbands. Her mind took her back, to the little face that would stare up at her as if she were the only thing that mattered to him. Yes, her mind went back to her little boy, back when he was safe, when they were together and happy. How she longed for those days to return. But for now she knew it was not to be…

His safety was the most important thing right now. His safety from that terrible place, that place that had taken her son away from his family and had exploited him. And now that he had escaped, she'd be dammed if she would do anything to jeopardize his freedom.

Yes, she longed to have her child back in her arms, but the Centre was a dangerous thing to contend with. She knew without a doubt that if they ever found her, they would use her as bait to lure her son, Jarod, back into their vicious claws.

No, she would not allow that, not even for a moment of seeing his face again, not even for a second of having him in her arms again.

A mother's love ran deeper than that. Her love was deeper than that.

So, she sat there hugging herself, closing her eyes and went back with her mind instead to happier times.

Clark and Chloe pulled up to the old wooden house. The house was small but looked cozy. The shutters were painted a light yellow and looked slightly cracked. The rest of the house was a similar shade but a little darker and the two shades blended well with each other. There was a small flower bed right outside the porch and it was evident that the person who lived here took care of the place.

"What are you going to say to her?" Chloe asked as she exited the truck. "I don't think you can just come out with 'I know where your son is.' as the first thing you say." Chloe couldn't help but think about her mom and how this situation was in some ways similar to her own.

"I don't know" Clark sighed slightly. "I'll figure something out."

Clark knocked on the wooden door, but got no response and no obvious sound could be heard from inside.

"Maybe she's out" Chloe said, but before Clark could say anything Chloe left saying "I'll go check for her car."

While Clark stood there and waited for Chloe he leaned towards the door and heard what sounded like someone sniffling.

"There's an old truck back here."

"I think she's home." Clark knocked once again on the door slightly louder this time.

Margaret had been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn't heard Clark the first time he had knocked. She now heard it and her first thoughts went to the Centre. _They had finally found her_. But, then she thought _they wouldn't knock. They would just come barging in and take whatever they want._

Margaret composed herself, wiping the tears from her face, as she stood up. She discreetly looked out the window and saw Clark's truck, it looked vaguely familiar to her, but she didn't know why.

Clark was pleasantly surprised when the woman answered the door. She looked exactly like the photo he had been given, just a few years older. The red hair now had streaks of grey throughout. Clark immediately knew they had found the right person. He also noticed that her eyes were red and it looked as though she had been crying.

"Hi, Ms. Smith. My name is Clark Kent. This is my friend Chloe Sullivan. My parents helped you out on the road the other day. I was wondering if we might be able to come in for a moment and talk with you."

Clark watched as the woman looked between the two teenagers warily and then over at the truck. "I don't want to buy anything."

Chloe chimed in. "We're not selling anything. Just want to talk to you, that's all."

Margaret looked over at the truck again. She seemed to remember where she had seen that truck before. It was the same as the one driven by the couple that had helped her. "Is your father, Jonathan Kent?" She remembered the man giving her his name that day.

"Yes, ma'am he is."

"So, if you're not selling anything, what is it that you need to talk to me about?"

Clark pulled out the picture he'd been given.

Margaret stared at the picture which had been taken by her husband just before their life became a nightmare. She began to feel light headed and felt as though she was going to faint. _How did they get his picture? How did they find her? _She thought she had found a good place to stay, at least for a little while, where no one could find her. What if someone had followed them out here? She would not become a pawn in someone's evil scheme.

She knees felt like they were going to buckle underneath her as she asked them unsteadily. "Where did you get this picture?"

"Jarod gave it to us."

Chloe quickly spoke before the woman could pass out. "We're not here to hurt you or your son. We just want to help. We'd like to talk to you about this some more, may we come inside?"

Margaret looked at both of them. They did seem to genuinely want to help. They didn't appear to have been followed. She weakly reached over and undid the latch to the screen door. "Come in and sit down."

"Thank you Mrs. Smith." Clark said as he stepped aside so that Chloe could enter the house.

"I know this is a silly question, but are you okay? You look like you are going to pass out." Chloe asked, genuinely concerned for the other woman.

"I'll be fine. I just need to sit down."

"Here let me help you." Chloe guided the older woman to a nearby couch.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Clark asked.

"That would be nice." Margaret said before giving Clark directions to the kitchen.

Clark came back with a glass of lemonade, from which Margaret took a shaky sip before putting it down on the nearby table.

"How – How do you know my son?"

"I helped him out of a tight spot he had gotten into the other day."

"Ms. Parker" Margaret began to regain her composure as she spoke. "I saw her. She looks just like her mother. They were after my son. Did you help him get away?"

"Yes, ma'am" Clark said. "He's staying at our farm recuperating."

"Recuperating from what?"

Clark winced inwardly. He shouldn't have let that little piece of information slip. "He got shot, but it wasn't bad. He's just a bit sore and has a cracked rib."

"Is he okay?" the worried but hopeful tone was obvious.

"He's just fine."

"And he's still there?"

"Yes, ma'am. He doesn't know that we're here now, but he would love to meet you. "

Chloe piped in. "We wanted to find out for sure first, before we said anything."

"Can we go see him right now?" Margaret asked as she leaned over and hugged both teenagers. "Thank you so much."


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry this took me so long. Had a bad case of writer's block. Thanks for the continued interest in this story. Hope you enjoy.

Jarod sat on the Kent's front porch. A slight breeze blew which was making the leaves on the trees sway back and forth. He was glad he had stayed a little longer at the farm. He had gotten a glimpse at what a normal life could be like; and he liked what he saw.

He had wanted to try and help out with something around the house, but both Martha and Jonathan had insisted that he was a guest and that he would do no such thing. They had told him that he should just take it easy and rest. Normally, that would be almost impossible for him, but there was something about this place made him feel like maybe, just for once, he could relax for a while.

The sound of the old red truck coming up the drive broke into Jarod's thoughts. The windshield was in a desperate need of being washed and he had a hard time seeing through it, but it looked like Clark had brought someone with him.

What happened next seemed to go in slow motion to Jarod. He watched as the passenger door opened and the one person he thought he would never see again stepped out. Almost unable to believe his eyes he whispered, "Mom".

After a few seconds, when his body and brain seemed to be working again, he got up and started walking towards the truck. He had only gone a few steps when he stopped. This was too similar to his first near encounter with her. _What if this was just his mind playing tricks on him? What if the moment he stepped off the porch someone popped out to grab him? What if this was a trap?_

Martha quietly stepped out on to the porch and placed her hand on Jarod's shoulder causing him to jump slightly. "It's okay. Go to her." She said with a gentle smile.

Jarod didn't need anymore assurance. Jumping down the porch steps, he rushed as fast as he could to his Mom's side.

Tears were streaming down her face as she hugged him tightly to her. It was true. This really was her beloved son. He was real and in her arms. Holding onto him, she squeezed him as tightly as she could.

"Mhhhhh" Jarod groaned slightly as squeezed on his sore rib.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry did I hurt you?" She looked at him with concern.

"No. You could never hurt me." Jarod reassured her as he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent.

"I've missed you so much." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around him once again and laid her head on his shoulder. Her baby was safe.

It was almost too much for Jarod to comprehend. "You're real? This isn't just some dream I'm having."

Margaret looked up at Jarod and nodded her head, trying to keep her composure so she could answer him. "I'm here and I'm real. No one is going to take you away from me again."

Clark and Chloe stood and watched the scene for a moment, before Clark looked up and saw his parents standing next to each other on the porch watching the happy reunion.

Clark gently nudged Chloe and indicated that they should go in the house and give Jarod and his mom some time alone.


	15. Chapter 15

Since I got over my writer's block and felt bad for making everyone wait so long here is the next instalment. Many thanks go out to SVCrystalGreen for her contribution to this chapter and my beta Carrie01. If something looks a little off with this chapter… I apologize I seem to be having trouble uploading it correctly for some reason.

They walked silently, hand in hand, Jarod guiding them towards the barn, then further inside it, and then towards the bottom of the steps that lead to the upper levels of the barn.

There they sat.

Margaret looked at her son, whose long legs stretched over the ground. Years ago, his legs wouldn't have even made it to the floor.

'_Oh how much he's grown' _she told herself as she continued to observe the changes in her boy. His tall frame, his strong face, his broad shoulders.

Yes, her boy was a man.

A man although he was, he was still her little boy. He had the same eyes, the same lovingly, endearing expression that she remembered and that she had kept in mind these long years. It was her blanket, her comfort, remembering the expression in those eyes, his love and kindness. To have her son, here, beside her, with her now, it was all too much. It was brought on a fresh batch of warm tears to her eyes.

Jarod saw the tears fall, he felt his own fall, but his attention went to his Mother that he dreamt about everyday. He reached out and wiped them.

She leant into the touch, and placed her own warm hand over his, stroking it, kissing it tenderly.

"My son," was all she could say.

"Mom," he said back.

"Oh Jarod, I missed you so much," in those words, the pain she had endured was all but clear.

"I missed you too. I – I…" he had so many things he wanted to say to her. But she hushed him, with a smile.

"It's okay, It's okay. A lot of things that should have never happened happened."

Jarod glanced down on the barn floor, memories of the Centre, the horrors that went along with it coming to his mind. To think that instead of those memories he could have been with his Mother, he could have been with his family. They would have had him with them.

His mother reached out and this time touched her son's cheek to draw him back to her, to take him away from those memories while she inwardly cursed that monstrous Centre for with every breath of her being.

"But we are here now, Jarod, **_together_**. Please let's not fill these precious moments thinking about what could have been, and what wasn't. Let's just enjoy the now."

It was true. If he had never been hurt. If the Kents hadn't taken him, hid him, and not only that found his Mother, he wouldn't have been here right now enjoying this. Who knows if he would have ever found her? Would he have ever even stepped back into Smallville?

Memories of the last time he'd seen his Mother, when the chance to actually meet and talk to her had been snuffed away with the arrival of members from the Centre, faded.

He smiled at that and at his Mother's words.

"You're right."

Jarod was overjoyed to hear that his Mother thought about him just as much he did her. And in those moments Jarod was able to ask the one question that he'd always wanted the answer to.

"Mom, what's my last name?"

At the Center they had stripped him of his identity. The left him with his first name and that gave much comfort in times of darkness, but still he lacked the knowledge of who he really was. At times he even wondered, did he even have a family.

To know his last name, a name that identified who he was, where he came from would fill in more of the hole that the Center had gauged out.

He wanted to know more than ever.

Margaret smiled and said in one breath, "Thomas."

"That's your name, Jarod Thomas."

"Jarod Thomas," he repeated silently as if it were something holy.

Clark looked out the living roomwindow towards the barn. When there was still no sign of any movement, he turned and went back into the kitchen. "They've been out there a really long time." He commented.

"Well, they have a lot to talk about." Chloe said. "I mean if you haven't seen your mom in nearly thirty years what do you say to her first?" Chloe couldn't help but think about her own situation. She really didn't know what she would say if she saw her mom.

"I'm just glad that you two were able to find her. How did you break the news?" Martha asked turning away from the counter towards the teenagers.

"Well, at first she didn't want to have anything to do with us, Mrs. Kent"

"She thought we were trying to sell her something."

"Then we showed her the picture Jarod gave Clark and, after she got over the initial shock of the situation, she let us in so that we could talk."

"I can't imagine what she has been going through." Martha looked over at Clark as she spoke. "To have your child ripped away from you like that." She shuddered inwardly at the thought. That had always been one of her and Jonathan's worst fears.

"I can't believe they can just get away with something like that." Chloe said. "The sheriff didn't do anything?"

"She ran them out of town." Martha answered. "She didn't know what was really going on. We couldn't let her find Jarod here."

"Just how did you pull that one off?" Chloe looked over at Clark confused. "You never did tell me."

Clark shifted slightly nervously. "I saw Jarod going out of the back of the house as I pulled into the yard. Since I was the only one who knew he was no longer inside I could let the sheriff and the others search the house and the barn."

Chloe smiled at Clark. "Good thinking. Did you find out anything interesting while they were here?"

"Yeah, when they were here I overheard the sheriff talking on her radio. Her deputy had looked into psychiatric facilities in Delaware and they couldn't find anything for a place called the Centre." Clark said as he sat down on one of the kitchen stools. "This sounds like something like Level 3 to me."

"You think Lionel Luthor is involved in this?" Chloe asked.

"No, but someone like that is. An organization that feels like they are above the law and that no one really knows what they are up to."

"Someone should put a stop to them."

Jonathan walked into the room. "I hope that you two are going to get any wild ideas about that. If they are like Lionel then they won't be brought down easily."

Jonathan saw the look on Clark's face and knew he didn't like the situation. He walked over and put his hand on his son's shoulder. "They'll be brought down some day, but not today, and not by you." Clark nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his dad.

"I'm just glad we were able to help out."

"Me, too." Chloe said as she grabbed her purse. "It's getting kinda late and I probably should to be going. My dad's going to be wondering what I'm up to."

"You sure you don't want to stay for supper?"

"I'd love to Mrs. Kent, but this is my night to cook so I'd better be going."

"Alright, then. See you later."

"Bye, Chloe."

A little while later…..

Martha entered the barn and climbed up to the loft and saw Jarod and his mom sitting on Clark's couch. They were sitting together but not speaking, the silence was peaceful, almost as if they didn't really need to say anymore but were drawing strength from each other's presence. "I don't mean to intrude."

Margaret turned to face Martha. "No intrusion at all, it is your barn after all."

Martha smiled. "I just wanted to let you know that supper is ready."

Jarod stood up, "Mom, since I haven't done this already. I'd like to introduce you to Martha Kent."

Margaret walked over to Martha and wrapped her in a hug. "Thank you for taking care of my son."

"You don't even have to say it. We're just glad that we could help out. Our children are the most precious things to any parent."

Margaret stepped back and Martha could see the tears that glinted her eyes. "They certainly are." Margaret wiped her eyes. "From what Jarod says you have a fine son."

"Yes, I'm very proud of him." Martha smiled as she answered. "You must come in and eat supper with us. I won't take no for an answer."

"Mom" Jarod smiled as he spoke, he didn't think he would ever getting tired of saying that. "She means it."

"Well, in that case. I don't guess I have a choice do I?"

"Nope."


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks again to my beta Carrie and my internet buddy and sometimes co-writer SVCrystalGreen.

Jarod was standing on his mother's small front porch. He looked out over a nearby field while he sipped his coffee and smiled. He couldn't remember when he had ever felt this content.

He knew this contentment wouldn't last and that reality crept across his brain like a dark curtain covering the peaceful landscape. With that thought his smile diminished.

Miss Parker and her colleagues had already made one appearance and it wouldn't be long before they were back. He knew Miss Parker was not the type to give up easily. The Kent's couldn't protect him forever. Not only that but his Mom had obviously found a safe place here in Smallville and there was no way he would jeopardize that.

Margaret quietly came out onto the porch and saw the serious expression on her son's face. "What is it, Sweetie?" She asked, concerned.

"I – I can't stay, Mom. I will have go, the sooner the better," he finally revealed, feeling terrible having to utter those words.

Margaret blinked, her motherly instinct coming on strong not wanting her son to leave her so soon after finally finding him again. Then her countenance took on an understanding expression.

"I know, Jarod. I know," she said softly, with a deep sigh. "As much as I want you to stay _here_, I know you have to go. I won't try and stop you or hold you back, but if you ever need me I will always be here for you. I love you Jarod, never forget that I love you."

Jarod let out a breath and pulled out a small cell phone from his pocket.

"What's this?"

"It's a phone for you."

Margaret smiled momentarily and then became serious. "I can't take that."

Jarod was perplexed. "Why not?"

"It will connect me to you and although I'd love to keep in touch with you, I won't take the risk of those vultures finding you again."

"It's okay." Jarod smiled and then reassured his mother. "Not even Broots can trace this phone. I've set up especially for you. I'm the only one who has the number. So, there's nothing to worry about."

Margaret smiled and took the present, although, she wasn't exactly sure how to use it.

Jarod saw her hesitation. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to use it."

Jarod smile grew larger as he showed his mom how to operate the new phone. "See, right here is where I already have my number in here."

"Okay, I think I can remember all this."

"You can play around with it and you can call me anytime for "how to" tips." Jarod reached in his other pocket and pulled out his own identical phone. His expression became serious. "I mean it. Call me anytime."

Unshed tears glistened in Margaret's eyes as she said. "I will, baby. I will."

Later that afternoon…

Margaret looked out the window at the sound of an approaching vehicle. She tensed momentarily, relaxing when she saw the now familiar red truck appear. Jarod saw the truck as well. "I've got to go now."

Margaret looked at her son and the emotions that were written clearly across his face. She could tell he wanted to cry but also wanted to be strong for her. "I'm not going to say goodbye. I'm going to say see you later." He said.

"I'll be right here." She placed her hand over her son's heart. "I'll always be right here, whenever you need me."

Jarod nodded his head, unable to speak and hugged her as tight as he dared before quickly walking away while he still could.

Clark sat in the truck waiting patiently. Jarod had called him earlier in the day requesting a ride out of town. He watched Jarod walk out to the truck and could tell how difficult his leaving really was. After he got in the truck, Clark put it in gear and drove off without a word.

After a few minutes of silence Jarod finally spoke up. "Clark, I want to thank you and your family."

Clark took his eyes off the road to glance at Jarod. "Don't mention it. It was nothing."

"No, it was definitely something. " Jarod answered. "You saved my life in more ways than one. You and your family took me in, no questions asked. You hid me from the police and Mrs. Parker. Then on top of that you accomplished what I had thought was impossible. I got to meet my mother. If you ever need anything, just call me." Jarod handed Clark a small piece of paper.

"You're definitely welcome." Clark tapped on the small metal container next to him. "So, I went and got this. What is it?"

"That's my DSA." Jarod saw the confused look on Clark's face. "It's my version of home videos. That is my entire life until recently."

Clark saw Jarod became very serious when he spoke and wanted to lighten things up a little. "Oh, that bag in the floorboard there is also yours. Man, you carry some weird things with you: A slinky, barrel of monkeys, silly putty, Pez, and fake dog poop."

"They're some of my more recent discoveries. Why someone would actually purchase fake dog poop is still a mystery to me, but I got some. You have to try Pez. They are the best candy." Jarod reached down and pulled out the bright blue dispenser with a clown on top of it, he popped back the clown head revealing the candy. "Here."

Clark smiled as he took the small piece of candy.

THE END

Let me take this opportunity to say thank you to all the readers and especially to the reviewers of this story. Your support of this project has meant so much to me. I read once on someone else's story reviews are like air. Thank you.

Let me know if you would like a sequel to this story. I have something bubbling around in my head.


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